EMT Rhett is an EMT that is in the Army reserves. Called to assist in the Haiti recovery efforts, he arrived in the disaster-impact area, and became a part of a major crisis. He labored with zeal over two weeks, working with the wounded, mutilated, and broken bodies of the victims—both dead and alive. He helped in the rescue efforts by digging dead bodies out of rubble, participating in the burial of the dead, and tending to the wounded. The more he helped, the more he began to feel that the sheer number of dead and wounded was beyond his capacity to cope. Thereafter, he experienced decreased appetite, was oblivious to his uniform and shelter, and adopted the belief that he had to “save everybody”. He was on overdrive and gave his best efforts, but without adequate support arrangements, on the first night, he collapsed in a state of exhaustion among the wounded and the dead, and fell asleep. This was only the first night for this doctor in the disaster area. Over the next few days maintaining the same routine, he started to develop physical fatigue and tiredness, and had difficulty going to sleep. He became fearful of the aftershocks that continued to rock the ground. Outbursts of anger became a constant feature of his personality, and as a result, he also became quarrelsome with his colleagues. All these complaints rendered him unable to perform his duties. There was now no pleasure in daily life, and he experienced the feeling of “having not done enough”. In the face of such adversity from nature, he was trapped in a persistent state of physical and emotional fatigue. What are the signs and symptoms that Rhett is potentially experiencing vicarious trauma? Would you consider him impaired? School Counselor Linda was an elementary and middle school counselor in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina made landfall. The population of her school scattered around the United States after the storm, and my school did not officially open until after the winter break in January, 2006. Though she initially evacuated to Atlanta, Georgia, she relocated one week later to another city in Louisiana where she accepted a temporary job as an elementary school counselor. The school in the other city accepted over a hundred new students who were hurricane Katrina evacuees, some of whom were students from my school in New Orleans. All of the students and families were struggling to adapt to a new way of living and at the same time struggling to learn any information that they could related to their homes. Communication was a challenge in those first few weeks after the storm, and it was impossible to know if everyone from her school had evacuated safely. Personally, she was struggling with the same types of challenges as the families with whom she worked. She did not know if she had lost her home or her job in New Orleans, and she was unsure if all of her friends and family were safe. Her memories of that time are limited. She spends her days working with studen ...

1. EMT
Rhett is an EMT that is in the Army reserves. Called to assist in
the Haiti recovery efforts, he arrived in the disaster-impact
area, and became a part of a major crisis. He labored with zeal
over two weeks, working with the wounded, mutilated, and
broken bodies of the victims—both dead and alive. He helped in
the rescue efforts by digging dead bodies out of rubble,
participating in the burial of the dead, and tending to the
wounded. The more he helped, the more he began to feel that
the sheer number of dead and wounded was beyond his capacity
to cope. Thereafter, he experienced decreased appetite, was
oblivious to his uniform and shelter, and adopted the belief that
he had to “save everybody”. He was on overdrive and gave his
best efforts, but without adequate support arrangements, on the
first night, he collapsed in a state of exhaustion among the
wounded and the dead, and fell asleep. This was only the first
night for this doctor in the disaster area. Over the next few days
maintaining the same routine, he started to develop physical
fatigue and tiredness, and had difficulty going to sleep. He
became fearful of the aftershocks that continued to rock the
ground. Outbursts of anger became a constant feature of his
personality, and as a result, he also became quarrelsome with
his colleagues. All these complaints rendered him unable to
perform his duties. There was now no pleasure in daily life, and
he experienced the feeling of “having not done enough”. In the
face of such adversity from nature, he was trapped in a
persistent state of physical and emotional fatigue. What are the
signs and symptoms that Rhett is potentially experiencing
vicarious trauma? Would you consider him impaired?
School Counselor

2. Linda was an elementary and middle school counselor in New
Orleans when Hurricane
Katrina made landfall. The population of her school scattered
around the United States after the storm, and my school did not
officially open until after the winter break in January, 2006.
Though she initially evacuated to Atlanta, Georgia, she
relocated one week later to another city in Louisiana where she
accepted a temporary job as an elementary school counselor.
The school in the other city accepted over a hundred new
students who were hurricane Katrina evacuees, some of whom
were students from my school in New Orleans. All of the
students and families were struggling to adapt to a new way of
living and at the same time struggling to learn any information
that they could related to their homes. Communication was a
challenge in those first few weeks after the storm, and it was
impossible to know if everyone from her school had evacuated
safely. Personally, she was struggling with the same types of
challenges as the families with whom she worked. She did not
know if she had lost her home or her job in New Orleans, and
she was unsure if all of her friends and family were safe. Her
memories of that time are limited. She spends her days working
with students who have lost possessions, family members and
their sense of safety. She finds herself dreaming about the
students and compelled to take them food and clothing to assist
them in replacing their lost identities. Her co-workers are
concerned because she seems to be experiencing intrusive
thoughts and compulsive behaviors in response to her drive to
assist students. Her principal has heard rumors that she has
invited the family of her students to sleep in her apartment. She
has been observed on multiple occasions handing out lunches
that she purchases each day to feed students. What are the signs
and symptoms that Linda is potentially experiencing vicarious
trauma? Would you consider her impaired?